


You learn to run from what you feel, that's why you have nightmares.

by Temple



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adults, Angst, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, Death, Lovers, M/M, Nightmares, One-Shot, Reddie, Short, Slight spoilers, Some Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 10:30:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21177941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Temple/pseuds/Temple
Summary: Sometimes his dreams are good—perfect even. He’ll close his eyes in the darkness of his room and open them again to find Eddie looking back at him, bright eyed with his hair sprawled out against the pillow.And Sometimes he’ll close his eyes and open them to darkness and the gut-wrenching cries of Eddie begging him to save him.





	You learn to run from what you feel, that's why you have nightmares.

Sometimes his dreams are good—perfect even. He’ll close his eyes in the darkness of his room and open them again to find Eddie looking back at him, bright eyed with his hair sprawled out against the pillow. He’ll smile at him, stretch his legs between Richie’s and lean over just enough to kiss him good morning with sleep warm lips.

Richie always cries, like a god damn baby, he’ll curl his hands in Eddie’s hair and sob his name into his mouth as he holds him close and tells him he loves him over and over again until he can’t breathe.

Eddie always laughs at him and calls him out for being a sentimental bastard before kissing him again and curling closer. He’s always so warm Richie thinks, always soft and pliant and real. So real that Richie never wants to wake back up. It’s perfect, everything Richie has ever wanted and still wants; still clings desperately too.

It’s always innocent, they never do anything more than hold each other and share soft intimate kisses between snarky comments and soft whispers of endearment, even though it feels like it lasts for hours it’s never really long enough. At least not for Richie.

Richie always wakes with a smile on his face and his hand stretched out against the empty side of his bed. Eddie’s voice still in his head and the fading memory of his smile etched into the cold pillow.

Not all his dreams are good though—sometimes he’ll close his eyes and open them again to darkness and the gut-wrenching cries of Eddie screaming his name from inside of the sewers. Richie knows this dream the best, has relived it almost every night and it gets harder and harder to recover from.

Everything so vibrant and clear, every smell and sound like a hammer to his heart.

He’s running, out of breath and sobbing Eddie’s name; begging and pleading with anyone who is listening to get there, to make it in time just this once. Begging his feet to go faster in the darkness. Eddie is still screaming his name, shouting for Richie to save him. To protect him just like he promised.

It always falls silent just as he rounds the pipe, always just in time to see Eddie’s eyes go dim and his tear soaked face sag. Always in time to see that monster’s toothy smile and chilling laugh as it holds Eddie’s body against the walls and sneers at Richie.

“Oopsie—to late again.” It laughs.

Richie’s whole body aches and he breaks down on the floor. Sobbing and swearing as the clown laughs and continues toy with Eddie’s limp body, Eddie’s dead eyes focused on Richie, asking why he couldn’t save him like he promised.

Richie always wakes in a cold sweat, breathing heavy as he desperately fumbles in the darkness for the light. His face wet with tears and his heart hammering in his chest; scared and heartbroken at having to re-live it again and again. Night after night.

He doesn’t go back to sleep after his nightmares, can’t face being back there with Eddie cold and dead. Instead he’ll reach for the bottle of whisky on his nightstand and take a swig to try kill dull the ache.

But it never does.


End file.
